EUGENE (Oregon): Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce made history Sunday as she bagged a fifth world 100m title on Sunday, leading a Jamaican clean sweep in the women’s final while American athletes continued to clean up on home soil by clinching four other golds on offer.

Fraser-Pryce, a 35-year-old mother, led from gun to tape in a consummate display of sprinting that belied her age.

The Jamaican, who previously won the blue riband event in 2009, 2013, 2015 and 2019, won after clocking 10.67 to edge Shericka Jackson and Elaine Thompson-Herah, the same three athletes who swept the Olympic podium in Tokyo.

“I can’t even imagine the amount of times I’ve had setbacks and I’ve bounced back and I’m here again,” Fraser-Pryce said. “I feel blessed to have this talent and to continue to do it at 35, having a baby, still going, and hopefully inspiring women that they can make their own journey.”

Jackson took silver in a personal best of 10.73sec, with four-time Olympic sprint champion Thompson-Herah claiming bronze (10.81).

It was the first time a nation had swept the medals in the women’s 100m at the worlds and came just a day after Fred Kerley led a US sweep of the men’s 100m.

“It was definitely something on the cards,” Fraser-Pryce said of the potential sweep. “I’m glad I was the one who finished first in the sweep and I’m glad the other ladies came through and we were able to celebrate the 1-2-3.”

In a startling day of results for Team USA on home soil, Oregon native Ryan Crouser, a double Olympic champion and world record holder, led an American clean sweep in the men’s shot put and finally got his elusive world gold after his throw of 22.94m set a championship record.

Defending champion Joe Kovacs took silver with Josh Awotunde capturing bronze.

Olympic champion Katie Nageotte cleared 4.85m to win the women’s pole vault with compatriot Sandi Morris taking a third consecutive silver.

It was a third straight gold in the field events for US women after Brooke Andersen’s triumph in the hammer throw earlier in the day and Chase Ealey’s shot put success on Saturday.

American Grant Holloway retained his 110m hurdles title in a chaotic final that saw Jamaica’s Olympic champion Hansle Parchment injured in the warmup and Devon Allen disqualified for a false start.

Allen, who produced the third-fastest time in the event in June and was one of the favourites in Eugene, moved 0.01 seconds too soon.

“It feels good to win in front of the home crowd,” said Holloway, who came home in 13.03 seconds, ahead of compatriot Trey Cunningham and Spain’s Asier Martinez.

Holloway admitted that he had sympathy for Allen’s marginal false start call.

“I didn’t think he false started at all,” he said. “But technology says otherwise. It’s one of those things. It’s athletics. Anything can happen in track and field. It is what it is.”

Allen meanwhile described his false start as “frustrating”.

“You train a whole year for one competition that lasts 13 seconds and that’s that,” Allen said. “It happens and I’ll learn from it — and I’ll make sure I don’t react as fast next time.”

In the morning session, hammer thrower Andersen threw 77.56m to win gold and compatriot Janee Kassanavoid took bronze. Camryn Rogers finished second to win Canada’s first world hammer medal.

Tamirat Tola won the men’s marathon, finishing more than a minute clear in a world championships record time of two hours, 05.37 minutes and leading a 1-2 finish for Ethiopia.

Mosinet Geremew took silver and Bashir Abdi the bronze.

Uganda’s world record holder Joshua Cheptegei held off all challengers on the final lap to retain his 10,000m crown in 27:27.43.

Kenyan Stanley Mburu claimed silver and Cheptegei’s compatriot Jacob Kiplimo the bronze.

Elsewhere on the track, Norway’s Karsten Warholm qualified smoothly for Tuesday’s 400m hurdles final.

The 26-year-old Olympic champion and world record holder has been out injured with a hamstring injury, but he vowed this week he was at 100% and looked comfortable as he coasted through his semi-final in his bid to bag a third consecutive world title.

Joining him in the final will be his principal arch-rivals American Rai Benjamin and Brazil’s Alison Dos Santos, the silver and bronze medallists in Tokyo.

Belgium’s Olympic champion Nafi Thiam was in control of the heptathlon after four events, having registerd 13.21sec in the 100m hurdles, 1.95sec in the high jump, 15.03m in the shot put and 24.39sec in the 200m.

That left her with 4,071 points, 61 ahead of Anouk Vetter of the Netherlands, while reigning world champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson of Britain sat in sixth on 3,798pts.

Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2022